Another Navy warship at sea reports a coronavirus outbreak

Ar Navy ship at sea has reported a coronavirus outbreak and is returning to port, Navy said Friday.

A Navy statement said at least 18 members of crew of a destroyer, USS Kidd, have tested positive and it expects number to grow. It said it is evaluating extent of outbreak aboard ship.

Kidd is in Caribbean, where it has been operating as part of a counter-drug mission. Navy said it has a crew of about 350. It is only second Navy ship, among about 90 deployed around world, to report a coronavirus outbreak. or is USS odore Roosevelt.

One sailor who displayed symptoms was flown off Kidd on Thursday to a medical facility at San Antonio, where he tested positive for virus .

After positive case was confirmed at San Antonio, Navy deployed a specialized medical team to ship to conduct contact tracing and additional onsite testing.

“ first patient transported is already improving and will self-isolate. We are taking every precaution to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any furr spread onboard ship,” said Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. Naval Forces Sourn Command and U.S. 4th Fleet. “Our medical team continues coordinating with ship and our focus is safety and well-being of every Sailor.”

Navy said ship will return to port, where crew will continue to clean and disinfect ship, observing protocols in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Navy-specific guidelines.

Navy continues to struggle with a coronavirus outbreak aboard USS odore Roosevelt , an aircraft carrier that is docked in Guam and has more than 800 confirmed virus cases.

Asked wher Pentagon fears that Kidd may become ar Roosevelt crisis, Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said Navy acted quickly once learning of first symptomatic sailor aboard Kidd.

“ Navy has lessons learned from prior experience with a COVID crisis, and y have been quickly applying those to this case,” Hoffman said. “Fingers crossed, Navy is doing everything y can right w, and we’re going to hope for best outcome, but y are going to take all of prudent steps that y possibly can.”